Coating solution for fabrics



Patented Aug. 31, 1937 PATENT OFFICE COATING SOLUTION FOR FABRICS Alfred Pierre Honor Pouteaux, Ethirey, France,

assignor, by mesne assignments, to J. B. Martin Company, Norwich, Conn., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application August 9, 1935, Serial No. 35,485

1 Claim.

The present invention is directed to a. coating solution for manufacturing non-crumpling fabrics of enhanced Wearing qualities, and it particularly relates to an improved coating solution for dressing and finishing velvets, cottons, linens, silks, artificial silks and other fabrics so as to give them enhanced anticrushing or anticreasing properties.

The treatment of fabrics with synthetic. resinous materials, latex and similar materials involves considerable difliculty, particularly when it is desired or necessary to cause said materials to go Within the structure of the individual fibers making up the yarn of the fabric and Where it is also necessary to remove substantially all of the material from the surface of the various fibers in each constituent thread of the fabric. When mangling or mechanical treatment between nipping rolls is employed in connection with impregnating the fabrics, the structure of the fabric is often injured or broken so as to decrease its wearing qualities and disadvantageously affect its drape and feel.

In addition, synthetic resinous materials such as compounds of phenol and formaldehyde and urea and formaldehyde are not most compatible with various types of textile materials, such as rayon, sill: and so forth, and this tendency toward non-compatability is increased upon drastic heat treatments which are often necessary upon impregnation with the synthetic resin.

In addition, upon impregnation with synthetic resinous materials composed of phenol and. formaldehyde or urea and formaldehyde compounds, it is frequently desirable to subject the material to a preliminary processing with strong acids or alkalies, as for example by mercerizing the materials and after the impregnation, it is not only necessary to heat the material to a relatively high temperature as above mentioned, but to subject the same to severe washing to remove all traces of the resinous material.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide an improved solution for rendering fabrics of the character mentioned above substantially resistant to crumpling, creasing and/or crushing, which will not necessitate treatment with synthetic resinous materials, which will not require a preliminary mercerization operation and which will further eliminate the necessity of mangling qr mechanically working the fabric during the treatment.

Another object is to provide an improved solution of the character described with enhanced anti-crush or anti-crease properties, which fabric will not be saturated or interiorly impregmated with a non-compatible plastic material such as synthetic resinous phenol-formaldehyde or urea-formaldehyde compounds.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved process of rendering fabrics of the character described substantially resistant to crumpling, creasing or crushing, which may be readily employed without substantial deterioration of the fabric, and which will not require a subsequent drastic heat treatment.

Other objects will be obvious and appear during the course of the following specification.

In accomplishing the, objects of the present invention it has been found possible to coat the fabrics to be rendered relatively resistant to crumpling, crushing or creasing with mixtures of ammonium salts, preferably of Weak inorganic acids and relatively Weak organic acids.

Among the ammonium salts which may be utilized are ammonium salts of carboxylated benzene or naphthalene compounds which will preferably also be hydroxylated, the preferred compound of this character being ammonium salicylate.

In addition, it is also desirable to utilize ammonium salts of relatively weak inorganic acids such as ammonium borate.

Although ammonium salts are preferred, it is also possible to use mixture of salts of the alkali metals, such as sodium or potassium, and the alkali earth metals, such as calcium or magnesium. The mixtures of these salts are preferably formed in an aqueous solution with the salicylate predominating in weight proportions.

It is generally desired, however, to mix an aqueous solution of ammonium salicylate with a solution of borate or a mixture of borates, ammonium borate being preferred. As stated above, however, in such a mixture borates of alkali metals, alkali earth metals and magnesium may be employed.

As an example of one method of making up a solution 10 parts by volume of a 40% aqueous solution, of ammonium salicylate may be mixed with 20 parts by volume of 10% aqueous solution of ammonium borate. The solution may be utilized as such as a dressing or finishing material for fabrics or if desired the solution may be evaporated to dryness and the dry product redissolved when desired.

The complex formed in this manner will not time, preferably for a few minutes between 80 to 100 C.

To illustrate one method of making up the bath according to the present invention to to parts by weight of water may be added 4 parts by weight of ammoniumsalicylate and 2 parts by weight of an ammonium borate, such as (NI-I4) H3Bd08, or an equivalent amount of the Alcohol or acetone may also be added to the bath to increase the rate of drying and if desired a hardening agent such as paraform, formaldehyde and/or hexamethylene tetramine may also be added. If desired, however, the fabric after passing through the bath may be treated with a gaseous formaldehyde or subjected to a second bath containing formaldehyde.

It is also possible to make up. the treating, impregnating or finishing solution by dissolving salicylic and boric acids in water and adding the amount of ammonia necessary to neutralize the acids-and form their ammonium salts.

To illustrate another method, it is preferred to make up the treating or finishing solution by dissolving salicylic and boric acids directly in aqua ammonia to form the ammonium salts.

For example to prepare 5 liters of a treating solution according to a similar procedure to this, to 2550 c. c. of water are added 700 c. c. of a 20 B. aqua ammonia containing 17% by Weight of NH3.

This solution is then poured with stirring onto a mixture of 550 grams of salicylic acid (crystallized) and 250 grams of boric acid.

A paste will form at first which will'then dissolve to form a clear brown solution.

To this clear solution may then be added 25 grams of sodium bisulfite (crystals). In some instances it has been found that the addition of hexamethylene tetramine results in a better quality finish. In some instances, therefore, it

may be desirable to add 825 c. c. of a hexamethylene tetramine solution prepared by dissolving 367 grams of trioxymethylene in 458 c. c. of 22 aqua ammonia, the bisulfite serves to remove the iron which is contained in the raw materials as an impurity. The bisulfite will clarify the mixed solution.

The fabric after immersion and treatment in this final solution may be dried and then heated for a few minutes to 150 to 160 C. to fix the finish obtained. If desired the temperature of treatment may be regulated to be about to C. with a longer heating period, which has been found to give satisfactory materials from the viewpoint of crushability and which materials, in addition, are spot proof and will .withstand dry cleaning. The heating and drying treatments are preferably carried out on a tenter frame which maintains the fabrics under tension while the treatment is being carried out.

The water used in making up the above bath may contain calcium and magnesium salts, but they should preferably be free of iron salts. If any iron is present, its action will be counteracted by the sodium bisulfite.

22 B. aqua ammonia to 1 gram of the mixture of the acids in the above proportions.

" i As another manner of preparation a solution may be prepared of 7 grams of salicylic acid, 5 grams of boric acid and gram of sodium bisulfite in 50 c. c. of Water and 10 c. c. of 22 B. equa ammonia.

Then there is separately prepared a solution of 0.5 gram of. pine extract and 0.5 gram of stearic acid in 6 c. c. of denatured alcohol at 80 C. This solution is poured into the first solution and the resultant colloidal composition is cooled and preferably used for impregnation of fabrics or yarns at 35 C.

These proportions, of course, may be consid erably varied and to the treating bath there may be also added unsulphonated or sulphonated higher fatty alcohols, oils, fats and/or waxes, insoluble or soluble soaps, casein, gelatin, gums, latex, solubilized cellulose compounds and so forth.

A particular advantage of the present process is that the finishing compounds applied thereto may be readily removed by immersing the fabric or textile material in hot water having a temperature say of about 65 C. before drying and heating.

Less desirably in certain cases and with certain textile materials, other volatile bases, such .as organic amines may be employed as for example methylamine, propylamine, or hydroxyaliphatic amines in lieu of the ammonia; other carboxylated, alkylated, alkoxylated, sulphated, sulphonated, aminated and/or alkylaminated monoor poly-nuclear aromatic, aliphatic, araliphatic, alicylic and/or heterocylic organic compounds in lieu of salicylic acid, and other oxides of or compounds containing oxides of amphoteric or non-metallic oxides or salts containing such oxides or other Weak inorganic or organic acids in lieu of boric acid.

The fabrics treated according to the present invention are of enhanced crush-resistance, crease-resistance and crumpling-resistance, and they have improved drape and feel. Moreover, the process may be readily employed without subjecting the fabrics to any drastic washing, me chanical working or heat treatments.

The present application is a continuation in part of application, Serial No. 26,779 filed June 15, 1935-, said prior application being directed to a process of treating fabrics to make them crush or crease-resistant While the present application is directed to the treating solutions.

What is claimed is:

A finishing bath for textile fabrics to render them crease, crush and crumpling resistant, said bath having a concentration between about 5 and 25% and being adapted to deposit upon a fabric immersed therein, a finish after the fabric has been dried, which finish may be fixed by heating, said bath containing soluble salts of boric acid and salicylicacid, selected from the group consisting of the potassium, sodium and ammonium salts and containing a ratio of salicylic to boric acid ranging from 6 to 5 to ALFRED PIERRE HONORE POUTEAUX. 

